-The Premiere Of Animal Planet’s New Series Brings an Unexpected and Tragic Story To the Californian ER That Specializes in Treating Venomous Bites -

One of the battlegrounds between nature and mankind is occurring on the edges of Greater Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. Where the smog ends and the clean air begins, the urban spread and the desert intersect. It is an area where the human population is nearly doubling every single year and it is where the country’s most venomous rattlesnakes have always made their homes.

This is the home of VENOM ER, at the Loma Linda University Medical Center. This ER is different from any other: it specializes in treating people bitten by venomous animals such as snakes, scorpions and spiders and is responsible for covering 40,000 square miles of desert, forests and homes. Each year thousands of Americans are bitten by dangerously venomous animals.

VENOM ER Animal Planet’s ten-episode series takes viewers on a journey inside the life and drama of a unique ER, reflecting the collision of two very different worlds: ancient reptilian and suburban American. The drama in the VENOM ER can also be one of life and death, as the staff comes to grips with the tragic ending to one of the stories in the second episode of the series.

VENOM ER premieres on Tuesday, March 30 from 8-10 PM ET/PT with a special double-presentation of the first two episodes. Each Tuesday following will feature a new VENOM ER episode at its regular timeslot from 9-10 PM ET/PT.

Each episode’s drama is tied to VENOM ER’s charismatic venom expert Dr. Sean Bush, who leads a team of doctors, nurses, EMT’s, scientists, herpetologists, field researchers, helicopter pilots and more. Dr. Bush has a life-long interest in reptiles and venomous creatures as well as his own private collection. He is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, has authored over 50 publications on treating bites and stings and has lectured around the world.

The White House has acknowledged the VENOM ER series and sent Dr. Bush a certificate of appreciation. The White House Medical Unit is keenly aware of the danger President Bush could face from poisonous snakes at his Crawford Texas ranch.

Consequently they use the VENOM ER series to train their staff and the White House physician has said to Dr. Bush, “If there is ever an envenomation on the First Patient, we will be giving you a call for your clinical expertise.”

In VENOM ER we follow Dr. Bush as he sees patients ages four to 74 and treats their potentially deadly bites. In the first episode, Bush encounters his toughest case to date – Ralph Prado – most snake bites last only a second or two, but the snake was able to pump venom into Prado’s body for fifteen long seconds. Over five days, Dr. Bush’s team fight to save his life with blood transfusions and a record-breaking 42 vials of “Cro Fab” – the anti-venom used against rattlesnakes.

When a snake is encountered, a moment’s lapse can be catastrophic. Out in the desert, Ed Marshall was bitten when he dropped his phone at work. With the weather closing in, the helicopter has a difficult flight. As Dr. Bush says, “Time is tissue.” Every second is crucial in getting treatment underway as the venom instantly starts to break down the human body and find our individual weaknesses. These are examples of the real stories, from VENOM ER’s first episode.

In Southern California, people and rattlesnakes are on a collision course – a natural drama that plays out every summer – and each Tuesday night on VENOM ER at 9 PM ET/PT.

VENOM ER is a co-production of Animal Planet and BBC Wildvision. For BBC, Vyv Simson is executive producer and Paul Appleby is series producer. For Animal Planet, the executive producer is Alexandra Bennett.

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Animal Planet, available in more than 85 million homes nationwide, is the only television network dedicated exclusively to the connection between humans and animals. The network’s original programming brings together people of all ages by tapping into a fundamental fascination with animals and providing an entertaining mix of programming including original movies, adventure series, sports, drama and sitcoms. Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc., operates and manages the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, the Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery HD Theater, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel, Discovery Wings Channel, Discovery Home & Leisure Channel, Discovery en Español and FitTV. The unit also distributes BBC AMERICA. Visit Animal Planet on the Web by going to www.discovery.com and clicking on Animal Planet.

High-resolution images are available electronically at: www.press.discovery.com. To access the images, submit your email address and password. Once you have entered the site, click on the U.S. region, go to “Animal Planet” and select the photography/artwork link. If you have any difficulties please contact Ross Moonie at 917-690-5713. Preview tapes of the first three episodes of VENOM ER are also available upon request.